According to the revised budget, property tax on residential properties will be levied at Rs 16 per sqm, Rs 5 more than the present Rs 11 but Rs 4 less than that what was proposed

The standing committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) Monday approved the civic budget for 2013-14 that brings down the proposed hike in general tax and water charges but makes no change in gas rates proposed by municipal commissioner in his budget proposals last month.

According to the revised budget, property tax on residential properties would be levied at Rs 16 per square metre (sqm), Rs 5 more than the present Rs 11 but Rs 4 less than that what was proposed by Commissioner Ashwini Kumar in his budget presentation on January 24.

Similarly, the standing committee has proposed to increase annual water charges for households from Rs 850 to Rs 1,000.

The commissioner had proposed Rs 1,200 a year.

However, the residents of the city receiving piped cooking gas will have to get ready to pay a higher bill from April this year. The standing committee has kept the revised gas rates at Rs 16.52 per unit as proposed by the executive wing. Consumers will effectively have to pay Rs 18.99 per unit instead of present Rs 15.84.

The standing committee also approved new streetlight tax at Rs 8 per cent of general tax or Rs 120, whichever is less, as proposed in the commissioner’s budget.

With these and other moderations in the rates by standing committee, the VMC is likely to collect Rs 62 crore more annually. But this would be around Rs 30 crore less than the target of Rs 92.33 crore set by the commissioner.